The Itch of Living
by snarkysweetness
Summary: *A Re-Upload Since Is Made of Fail* Can two best friends get it together finally? What happens when a Longbtoom & Potter get together.


**Title: **The Bitch of Living **  
Author: **SnarkySweetness**  
Characters/Pairings: **Albus Potter and Libby Longbottom.

**Rating: **PG-13 for teenage hormones. **  
Warnings: **A perverse sixteen-year old boys mind. **  
When: **Albus' sixth-year. **  
Summary: **Can two best friends get it together finally?**  
Disclaimer: **JKR owns Albus, but his characterization is mine (yes, he is a little awkward and somehow, even more so than he is actually played here, but I adore him and I blame my muse for making him more awkwad). Libby belongs to my lovely Lissa. The song belongs to Duncan Sheik. **  
Author's Note: **Just a little prezzie for Lissa. I hope I don't screw Libby up too badly.

Albus lay back, his arms crossed behind his head, on the lawns, looking up at the sky as birds flew above him. His face wore a look of complete bewilderment, completely confused. It wasn't abnormal for a Potter boy to be confused, especially when Weasley was included in those genetics.

He'd spent most of his summer trying to deal with his love for his best friend, Libby Longbottom, writing her letters and poems and songs, trying to let the feelings out in a constructive way that didn't involve him thinking about the wet dreams he suffered every night because of her, especially not thinking of them in front of her, where he could blurt out his feelings and embarrass himself.

Of course he'd screwed up. He'd kissed her and at the time he'd had no idea why he'd been possessed to utterly fuck up the way he had. It was all his Uncle George's fault, who put up mistletoe when it wasn't Christmas?

He closed his eyes with a huge sigh. Her lips had been so soft; he wanted to be able to kiss them again, to make it last the entire day. His thoughts began to drift and a new song popped into his head.

_God, I dreamed there was an angel  
Who could hear me through the wall  
As I cried out-like, in Latin  
"This is so not life at all  
Help me out-out-of this nightmare"  
Then I heard her silver call-  
She said: "Just give it time, kid  
I come to one and all"_

She said: "Give me that hand, please  
And the itch you can't control  
Let me teach you how to handle  
All the sadness in your soul  
Oh, we'll work that silver magic  
Then we'll aim it at the wall"  
She said: "Love may make you blind kid-  
But I wouldn't mind at all"

Albus smiled to himself, imagining Libby, in his bed, naked, doing things he was sure had never crossed her delicate little mind. He let out a small groan before sitting up quickly, looking down to his lap. _Shite_. This was _not_ the place for this.

He ran a hand through his hair, leaning over and cursing. With his luck, Libby would come upon him now, as if the last few weeks hadn't been awkward enough.

"Hey Albie."

He looked up to see the object of his affection, in the flesh.

"Libby, hi," he said, his voice higher than it had been since puberty. He was mucking it up already, great. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his confidence.

She looked a bit awkward, like she had for the past few weeks, at least they'd been talking as of late, but the awkwardness was killing him.

"Rosie told me you'd be here, so I though I'd come see if you wanted some company, I haven't seen much of you lately," she told him sheepishly, not meeting his gaze.

Albus tossed his robe back on quickly, to hide his 'issue', before nodding at her dumbly. He wanted to make things not awkward with her, which would be difficult, considering. "I would love your company Libby, I miss you," he told her, patting a space for her, watching her as she sat down.

She gave him a smile and looked in front of her at the lake, clearly unsure on what to say to him now.

"It was mistletoe!" He spit out awkwardly, having wanted to tell her for days, so she would get whatever ideas she had about him out of her head. Yes, he'd wanted to kiss her, but nothing else but magical mistletoe would have given him the nerve to actually do it. He assumed her awkwardness was out of disgust at having him kiss her. After all, who would want to kiss him?

"My uncle had mistletoe in the shop… that's why I basically assaulted you in there, I'm sorry. I know all of this awkwardness is my fault." He looked down at his lap and then back to her. Her face was a mixture of genuine hurt and slight offense.

"Well, that's good to know." She said after a few moments, still looking hurt, but putting on a brave front, but Albus saw right through it. He immediately felt horrible. He didn't want her thinking he was a pervert, but at the same time, he wanted her to know she wasn't repulsive to him.

"I mean-I enjoyed it, but, shite. I well, you're really pretty Libby, anyone would love to kiss you, really. I just don't want you to think the only reason someone would kiss you is because of mistletoe, I just never had the courage to do it before, even though I've thought," he rushed his words, stopping himself when he realized he was damn-near admitting he was madly in love with her. He went a bit pale, his erection completely gone now; thank God for small miracles.

"Thought what?" She asked, looking more offended than hurt at this point.

Albus thought for a moment. He could lie and stall, leading the conversation elsewhere, or, he could act like a real man and a real Gryffindor and just tell her already. Hadn't Rosie told him to just be honest already?

What if she rejected him? Would it be any worse than how awkward things were now?

Albus stammered for a moment, trying to find his voice once more. "I've thought about doing it a lot," he whispered, looking down, his cheeks coloring and flushing at the same time. How was that even possible?

He'd said it. Now all he had to wait for her disgust and to never speak to her again. It was bound to come, any second now. He waited, but nothing came. Was she even there still?

Albus slowly lifted his gaze to find her staring, dumbfounded, in his direction, but her focus was clearly somewhere else.

"Libby?"

"You think about kissing me?" She asked with confusion in her voice.

"All the time." He blurted out, looking back down, tugging down on his robe. "Um.. I'm sorry… I mean, oh fuck, I keep making this more awkward, Libby, I," he moved to look at her but was met with her lips on his, a move that clearly surprised her as well as his, from the tensing of her body.

He was too shocked to kiss her back and she pulled back after a moment. "I'm sorry," she moved away from him, but he caught her by the arm and looked at her a full moment before leaning in and kissing her, for real this time.

No mistletoe this time, just him. Part of him felt a little nauseous, but he _needed_ to do this.

Albus let go of her arm, breaking the kiss a moment later when she didn't kiss him back. He'd at least done it; finally, after all the time he'd thought about doing it. Part of him felt like running for the castle, but he stayed put; he was a Gryffindor after all, he needed to use that supposed courage he had somewhere deep inside.

"Albus?" Libby asked, still looking a bit shocked.

"I'm sorry Libby, I just- no, I'm not sorry. I've been wanting to do that for a long time. Besides, you kissed me first this time." He pointed out.

She raised an eyebrow. "Let's not start on who kissed who first. What does… this mean?"

Albus gave her a shrug. "I don't know, want to try doing this kiss thing right for once and then go from there?" He asked, hopeful.

Libby blushed just a bit. "Maybe, or maybe I will just head back up to the castle and-"

Albus cut her off by kissing her again and this time, she kissed back. He wasn't sure if he was doing it right, what he would say after this, or if this would lead anywhere, but for the moment, he was pretty damn happy.

*A/N 2: Oh yes, this is made of the suck, I know, but writing other people's characters is oh so hard.*


End file.
